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Anita Carolyn Blair wore this dress to the debut of Gladys High in Chicago, a bold and possibly scandalous choice that would have upstaged the young woman hosting the party.

Curatorial Statement

This dress is considered the most important piece of twentieth-century fashion since many believe it was the first haute couture dress designed to be worn without a corset. The fashion for cinching the female waist into an unnatural shape dates back to the Renaissance; with Sorbet, Paul Poiret broke this centuries-old mode and became known as the father of modern fashion. Today, only three examples of this dress exist, and the Museum's version is the only one that follows the original sketch featured in the 1913 Gazette du Bon Ton.